Musical Theatre

The courses listed below are for the Academic Catalog and are subject to change. Please reference the Academic Catalog for further information and course descriptions. If you are a current student, please reference the catalog in which you come under.

Theatre Core Courses 33 credit hours

Theatre Performance

Acting II

THE 212

Students continue building technique through daily exercises and by synthesizing skills for scene work, improvisation and techniques for auditions. Students will learn how to prepare, rehearse and perform scenes and monologues. Exercises concentrate on centering, sensing, focusing, freeing, speaking, and feeling and doing. The goal is to create a strong ensemble that is fearless and an environment that is physically challenging to motivate breakthroughs in the actorÕs understanding of craft and performance.

Studio Voice for the Actor

THE 235

An approach to voice for the actor designed to liberate the natural, authentic voice and thereby develop a vocal technique that serves the freedom of human expression and artistic creativity on the stage and in film and television.

Design I: Scenic and Costumer

THE 270

This course will introduce the student to the technical aspects of theatre and teach the student how design is a fundamental ÒcharacterÓ in any play. Students will be able to execute well-conceived aspects of design related to lighting, scenic, makeup, and costume design. Class features 12 hours of laboratory participation.

Acting III

THE 312

Students continue building technique through daily exercises and by synthesizing skills for scene work, improvisation and techniques for auditions. Students will learn how to prepare, rehearse and perform scenes and monologues. Exercises concentrate on centering, sensing, focusing, freeing, speaking, and feeling and doing. The goal is to create a strong ensemble that is fearless and an environment that is physically challenging to motivate breakthroughs in the actorÕs understanding of craft and performance.

Audition Techniques and the Business of Acting

THE 341

Preparation and practical experience in auditioning for professional theatre, film, and television. Students gain an understanding of the audition process and equip themselves with audition materials and techniques culminating in an evaluation by casting professionals.

Stage Combat

THE 345

Learn to safely perform staged scenes of armed and unarmed conflict and violence in this extremely physical class. Techniques focus on safety, precision, and acting choices relating to fight scenes and include performing techniques as falling, rolling, punching, kicking, swordplay, and blocking, incorporating non-contact and contact techniques. Students will perform a fight scene from a classical or contemporary script, and may elect to have their scene adjudicated by a Fight Master with the Society of American Fight Directors (additional fees may apply for SAFD testing).

Lighting

THE 370 Design II

Prerequisite: permission of professor. This course continues the training begun in THE 270 Design I. The course teaches the student technical aspects of theater and how design is a fundamental ÒcharacterÓ in any play. Students will be able to execute well-conceived aspects of design related to lighting, scenic, makeup, and costume design. Class features 12 hours of laboratory participation.

Theatre History

THE 390

The myriad of theatrical events and experiences open to us have their roots in the theatre we have inherited--2500 years of western theatre and nearly 2000 years of Asian theatre. What are these many kinds of theatre, and where did they come from? These are the questions that Theatre History addresses. Theatre History examines the origins of theatre, the ways historians reconstruct the elements of theatre, innovations in theatre, and epochs of theatre history from the Greeks to the present day.

Acting IV

THE 412

The achievement of ÒstyleÓ in acting depends upon analysis of how plays are rooted in form, content, language, and historical period. Students will be guided along the path from intention to performance where the specific requirements of a style create a living, breathing, emotional reality of a particular time and place. Students begin the task of translating stylistic period elements in a way that modern audiences can clearly understand. Style work will connect directly to PCT productions.

Music Core Courses 22 credit hours

Applied Piano

THE 271

One half-hour lesson each week; may be repeated up to seven times. Private instruction at the piano for musical theatre majors, this course is intended to develop the keyboard skills and music-reading ability needed to accompany musical theatre songs. Students will be assigned technical studies and repertoire based on ability.

Musicianship I

THE 275

Musical theatre students learn music notation and music theory while concurrently developing aural skills related to sight singing, melodic dictation, and harmonic dictation so that they become self-sufficient musical theatre artists who can teach themselves music, rehearse independently and learn music quickly in rehearsals.

Musicianship II

Applied Voice I

THE 272

One half-hour lesson each week; may be repeated up to seven times. Vocal training for musical theatre students in all styles of Broadway singing, including classical, pop-rock, mix, country, folk and belting. Students develop technique and learn repertoire with the goal of becoming marketable, professional and successful musical theatre artists.

Applied Voice II

THE 372

Vocal training for musical theatre students in all styles of Broadway singing, including classical, pop-rock, mix, country, folk and belting. Students develop technique and learn repertoire with the goal of becoming marketable, professional and successful musical theatre artists.

Theatre and Musical Theatre Showcase

THE 203

Theatre Showcase is a performance laboratory class which features public performance of rehearsed material. Each spring, theatre and musical theatre students work on individual material like songs, duets, ensembles, dances, scenes, monologues, etc. as part of building their professional portfolios. Theatre Showcase is the class where all students come together to rehearse those materials and then perform them in public for audiences, adjudicators, peers and mentors.